They are incredibly common now. Pre-order X game from X store and get X bonus. It is a logical extension from the 80s and 90s of Sold only at this store. The idea is, if said store is the only one that carries the product, it drives you to go to that store to buy the product. Then, once you buy the product you buy a few other things while there as well. The store gets higher sales and you might come back later. It makes it worth it for the store to bribe the manufacturer to only sell it in said store.

Now they do it with content in video games. The store exclusive never bothered me. Most of the time I would just go in, get the item and leave if I didn’t like the store. Otherwise I probably shopped there already. But what they are doing to video games… THAT bothers me. It’s not a store exclusive, as in the case of a Nerf gun or Lego set, it’s actually taking a chunk of content and removing it from the game and selling it in pieces. To own the entire game you would have to buy it three or four times over, just to get all the bits.

Some would say, well they are just bits, they don’t really matter. My response is, well yes, but I am paying 60 bucks already. I deserve to have access to ALL the bits. And in some instances they even change the game! (Star Trek Online, I am looking at you.) There are valid arguments that it is a business and this is just a part of it. That’s fair. But for the same reason I buy Collector’s Editions (I want more of them) I try to avoid pre-ordering just to get a bonus. And if the person in the store asks, I will tell them. I am very vocal about the fact I think the practice is just wrong and borderline offensive to the gamers that are supporting your product to begin with.

Is there a solution? Of course, and it is very simple too. Make pre-order bonuses temporary. X game is released with x bonus at x store and y bonus at y store. Six months later, release x bonus and y bonus on the console’s downloadable program of your choice for the amount of x game’s pre-order. Ooo, isn’t that interesting? The stores get their bonus, because it is still at launch. By 6 months in, anyone who is going to buy it at your store has bought it, not to mention most of these bonuses are usually directly tied into pre-orders. People who want to support the developer and not the store can. People who don’t care can continue to not care. And I get to calm my wildly OCD desire to have a complete game.

Until a solution is implemented though, I will just keep voting with my wallet, as always.